


criminal.-

by levitate (gravitate)



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Criminals, Alternate Universe - Dark, Alternate Universe - Gangsters, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Attempted Murder, Casual Sex, Character Death, Class Differences, Corruption, Danger, Drug Use, Eventual Romance, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Family Dynamics, Friends to Lovers, Heavy Angst, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Multi, Murder, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Platonic Relationships, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Violence, Weapons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:42:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25156423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gravitate/pseuds/levitate
Summary: "What the hell do you expect, then?! Why do you even pretend to expect anything better? Your little horse faced cop friend said it perfectly; we're nothing but criminals at best."Warnings: This is a Dark!Modern!Criminal!AU, which means this fic is definitely going to hold some heavy themes, and a lot of angst and possible triggers. Ireallyrecommend reading the tags, and any notes I add at the beginning of a chapter for warnings. Above all, I want you to be safe and healthy and happy rather than read my shit lol.
Relationships: Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

**────────────  
• A Wistful Warning •  
────────────**

As the night slowly came to an end, and the city began to settle, Del couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh as the last few customers finally stumbled their way out of the bar. The rusty jukebox in the corner was reaching the tail-end of the last song, and it's slow rhythm filled the room with a calm and soft sort of ambience. Del stood at the bar, wiping down the counters with a damp rag, and quietly began whistling along with the song as she did so. The clock had finally struck closing time, and she truly couldn't get out of there sooner.

It had been a long night at the Tavern. With two fights and one cop showing up all before eleven o'clock hit, Del had reached her limit not even halfway through the night. Dive bar or not, Del still had her standards, and she took no bullshit when it came to her business. Fighting had never been tolerated by her, and never failed to result in an immediate ban. She refused to put up with aggressive, impulsive drunkards jeopardizing her livelihood, or attracting the cops to her spot.

Having grown up in St. Maria, the police had grown all too familiar with her and her family, especially her brother. Regardless of what she did or didn't do, at that point they'd take any excuse to cruise by just to keep an eye out. Erwin had been on their radar for some time- since they were teens. As his sister, she couldn't be too surprised they'd be trying to keep tabs on her as well. So she didn't appreciate it whenever her customers drew unnecessary attention.

With another weary sigh, she rounded the corner into the small kitchen behind the bar. Her head ached, and the newfound silence only seemed to make it worse. She never could figure out how to turn that damned music box down. Well, she may have, with a bit more effort. But she almost didn't trust the ancient relic not to break down on her completely the moment she turned it on. So, she'd come to accept the nightly migraines, and moved on.

Suddenly, as if on cue, Del heard the loud, mechanical whirring of the jukebox shuffling through to a new song. She hadn't even heard anyone enter. Furrowing her brows with a frown, she paused for a moment before walking back out to the bar. 

"Hey, look man, I'm closin' up shop for the night. You're gonna have to go find some other pl-"

What was a dying irritation then began to bubble up again at the sight of the familiar officer, dressed in casual clothes. Hands resting inside his pockets, he held a smug smirk at her surprise. She wasn't amused.

"How's it goin', Del?"

"What the hell do you want, Kirschtein?"

"Hey, now, what's with the attitude?" He responded with a shrug, still smiling and taking no heed to her mood. "I just wanted to check in with ya. The boys told me about you havin' a couple situations down here tonight."

Del rolled her eyes with a scoff. Crossing her arms, she looked back at him with a stern face. She had no patience for his stupid run-around bullshit.

"Why are you really here, Jean?"

His smile seemed to die at hearing his first name. He looked up at her in subtle bewilderment. They knew each other well; hell, they had grown up together. They were once even good friends. However, things happen, and people change, and they were already much different than each other to begin with. Now they were closer to strangers.

"I _did_ want to check on you, Del. I still worry about you." He spoke, voice genuine and honest.

But, some things didn't change at all. Like the way that she could always call him on his bullshit, and he couldn't seem to lie to her, or even try to. With a deep breath, Jean dropped his head to look down at the dirty wooden floors beneath his boots. He pursed his lips into a tight line, hesitation dripping from his demeanor. He still had another reason.

"I heard Erwin's finally back in town again." He looked back up, now taking on a serious expression and she balked at his reasoning. "Guess he was really laying low for a while, huh?"

Del hid her subtle, momentary surprise at hearing this. She hadn't spoken to Erwin since the group had to split three years ago. So hearing that he was back was news to her. Nonetheless, she held her composure as she continued to scrutinize the man in front of her.

"What about him? Why are you here, talking to me about it?"

"I just wanted to as-"

"Ask what, Jean? If I got shit to say about my brother? If I have any idea about where he is or what he does, now?" She chuckled, dry and sardonic. "Man, I am so done with this shit. I haven't even spoken to him since he left, and I'm still being eagle-eyed, and questioned every other day. I mean Jesus fuck guys, I'm just trying to live."

She turned and continued gathering all the dirty dishes into the grey, plastic tub that laid on the counter. There were a few beats of tense silence, only the rickety ceiling fans, and the clinking of glass filling the air around them. Then, Jean dropped his head in a dismal nod. "Yeah," he muttered half-heartedly. "Well, then there's only one other thing, and I'll be out of your hair."

"Yeah? And what's that?"

"Donnie Markian was released from prison yesterday morning, Del. And it seems he's come back around. Here, in Maria."

Del froze in her spot at that name. Pure dread seemed to fill her veins, sending her heart rate through the roof in a matter of seconds. Despite this, she swiveled, and took a slow step forward to lay the tub atop the bar.

"Are you serious?" She spoke low and serious, eyes studying his face intently for a glimpse of his thoughts.

"I am. It's not information I'm supposed to be giving out, either, Del. So if you would- you didn't hear it from me. But I thought you and Erwin might like a heads up."

Del's eyes narrowed in confused suspicion at her brother's name. Why would he help them? What agenda did he have that could possibly benefit? There were no such things as good deeds without ulterior motives- not in this place. Especially not from the side on which he stood. With questions and suspicions tearing around her mind, she turned and began digging for her belongings underneath the counter.

She'd decided she didn't have the time, nor the energy to keep this going. Hearing this news brought on a small sense of panic within her, and she suddenly felt crunched for time in her nightly routine. She needed to close up fast, and get the hell home. Making sure everything was packed away in her purse, she quickly stood and grabbed the last tub of dirty dishes and started back to the kitchen.

"Get outta here, Kirschtein. I gotta get home."

"Well, hang on, Del, wha-"

She turned on her heel halfway to the kitchen, and hid none of the venom that saturated her voice. "Get. Out. Jean."

He was silenced at that, and only gave a defeated sigh before nodding in acceptance. Head hung, he slowly turned and exited the building, feeling Del's burning glare on the back of his head. Del stayed in her spot until he disappeared from her sight altogether before she continued on with closing up the bar.

**∆∆∆**

"Holy shit, _holy fuck!_ " Del struggled to keep her voice to herself as she scrambled to get inside her small studio, her hands trembling and struggling to grip her keys. "Jesus Christ, come on!"

Finally managing to get inside, she almost couldn't stop herself from slamming the door in her frantic state, and locking all three locks. It felt as though she was finally able to take a real breath of air, and she rested her head against the worn down wood in an attempt to catch her breath again.

This was bad. This was _so fucking bad_. Her mind had been racing incessantly since her conversation with Kirschtein, and what all it could mean. Markian was back, and that only spells out bad fucking news, for everyone. And how long had Erwin even been back? Long enough for the cops to catch onto him again, the careless idiot. Del groaned and rubbed her temples at the hurricane of thoughts and worries.

Straightening herself out, she hurriedly paced through the small apartment, digging through messy, disheveled piles of clutter and clothing until she finally found it. The burner phone she'd put away for the next time she had to contact Erwin since his departure. Pulling it out, she pressed the speed dial number, and brought the phone to her ear. Her heart fluttered and skipped with every ring while she pulled out a cigarette and lighter.

"Come on, come on, come o-"

_"Del?"_

"Erwin, we're in trouble." She kept her voice smooth and low, a lit cigarette now hanging from her lips as she reached out to just peek through the curtains of her window. "It's Donnie... Erwin, he's back."

_"What? What the hell do you mean 'he's back'?"_

"What the _fuck_ do you think I mean, Erwin? He's fucking back- like, as in, he was released yesterday, and he's already in the fucking city."

_"He's not even supposed to be out yet."_

"Yeah, well, tell that to the fucking judge?"

_"Alright. Fuck, okay, I'll call everyone and have us all meet at the Tav. We gotta talk."_

So it wasn't just Erwin that had come back.

"Yeah, no shit. Since when the hell are you guys back in town? I gotta hear about this stuff from the cops, now?"

_"Hey, cool it. We'll talk soon. We'll be there in two hours."_

She shut herself up, deciding to end the call there. Running a shaky hand through her hair, she paced back and forth in her spot for a moment with bubbling anxiety. She couldn't help but think of the shitstorm forming right over their heads. Suddenly pivoting, she shot her phone at the wall and watched as it shattered from the force.

_"FUCK!"_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Del is reunited with her older brother, Erwin, after nearly four years. It's a bittersweet moment, until she is shocked by some old news Erwin has only _just_ decided to tell her.

**────────────  
• A Bitter Reunion •  
────────────**

After taking a few shots of her 'Oh Fuck' stash, and doing some incessant chain-smoking, Del quickly decided she would rather start making the short walk to the Tav to do her waiting there. The streets were dark, this side of the city being one that was prone to consistent power outages and crappy wiring. She had to keep her focus on the ground, so as not to slip on the sidewalk, still slick from the rain that had fallen the night before. Sometimes it felt like a completely different world at night- a dangerous one, cast under a polluted haze of steam that arose from the sewer drains and fog that settled down from above.

Living only a few blocks away, she had made this trek a thousand times; she knew it by heart. Yet, she still had never been able to shake that permeating sense of danger that came along with the ominous silence of the night. St. Maria was a dangerous place on any given day; but now with him back, she felt hyper-aware of every single little noise, every single threat that lay lurking in the shadows. She felt jumpy and caged in, somehow, on the open street. Already keeping up a brisk pace, she only picked up speed when the bar came into view up ahead.

That's when she heard it- the scuffling of movement, somewhere down an alley just a few feet ahead. It was the smallest of sounds; it was so quiet, she almost missed it. She stopped dead in her tracks, her heart pounding against her chest. She stared at the mouth of the opening, eyes wide and breath silently freezing in her lungs. Her hand immediately gripped onto the knife concealed within her pocket, and slowly, she approached the edge of the wall next to her.

She stopped for a moment to consider fight or flight. She was so close, she might be able to make it inside- if they didn't already know she was there yet. She took a few more seconds of thought, but the sudden harrowing screech and hiss of a stray cat nearly made her jump out of her skin. Looking down, she saw the cat scurry out from the dark reaches of the alley. She stood, baffled, for several seconds. She almost had to laugh at herself for being so paranoid.

Heart still pounding, she quickly darted past the opening, and sprinted the rest of the way to the front entrance of the bar. Locking it behind her, she turned and let out a huge breath of relief as she allowed herself to lean back against the smooth oak. A moment later, she dropped down to the floor and sat back against the door.

She was finally starting to feel the rush of adrenaline fade, and fatigue set in. She'd lost her game a bit, she felt. She still felt nervous and off about the whole thing by the time she'd settled in and made herself comfortable on a barstool. Nursing a tumbler of whiskey in one hand, the other shakily brought a newly lit cigarette to her lips as she began her wait in a deafening silence.

**∆∆∆**

A sudden loud noise brought Del from her reverie as she sat dozing off at the bar. She wrenched her eyes open to look over at the side door, where the noise had come from; only to be startled by another large _bang!_ against it. Jolting out of her seat in an instant, she did the first thing her fatigued mind could think of, and she leaped over the bar top. Landing on the ground with a painful thud and a small groan, she quickly scrambled to find purchase on the shotgun she kept hidden underneath the counter for emergencies. The moment she did, she shot right back up to her feet. With her weapon raised and aiming at the side door, she cocked the gun as it swung open, and-

"Del- Jesus! Del, put the fucking gun down, what are you doing?"

A wave of relief washed over her and she quickly dropped the weapon at the sight of the familiar towering blond that loomed in the doorway. Erwin. Releasing a deep breath she had been holding, she gently set the gun down to lean against the wall.

"Holy shit, Erwin, you scared the hell outta me."

"Clearly." He retorted, one eyebrow raised in questioning.

She rolled her eyes at him, leaning against the counter before hopping over it once more; only with a bit more grace and agility this time around. Landing softly on her feet, she came to stand feet away from her older brother, really taking him in after three years. He had aged some, albeit gracefully. Now closing in on thirty-four, she could see new lines and creases in his face that hadn't been there when she'd last seen him. She realized in that moment just how much time had passed without seeing her family. A small, bittersweet smile appeared on her lips.

"It's been a long time, big brother."

"That it has been. Bring it in, little sister."

Del gladly walked into the embrace he offered her, wrapping her arms around the bulk of his back. She felt him rest his chin on the crown of her head, and sighed into his chest. She had missed him. She missed everybody. It didn't hit her that she had been alone for so long until she finally wasn't. Pulling out of the embrace, she looked up at him with a quizzical expression.

"Where's everyone else?"

"They'll be here soon. Everyone's been staying pretty spread out."

She gave a small hum as response, and she casually crossed her arms over her chest. Looking down at the ground, she was slowly reminded of what brought him here. Letting out a slow sigh, she thought for a moment on her next words. Aside from the big problem at hand, there was another thing that had bothered the hell out of her.

"Why didn't you guys tell me you were back?"

There was silence for a moment, and she risked a quick look up at her brother. Cerulean hues cast down at the floor underneath furrowed brows. He quickly met her gaze a moment later, however, and kept an undisturbed demeanor as he explained.

"We didn't want to risk anything for you. Things are still pretty shaky right now, even after three years. As you can tell, people already have their eyes on us."

"Well, you've never been good with subtlety. Still, though. You were already hustling _a lot_ of shit through my bar since you left. You couldn't have given that Springer kid an update or anything the last time you sent him through?"

"I did what was needed, Del. We lost some people, even in hiding. People are looking for us, and killing anyone who isn't useful. That's a risk I wasn't going to take with you."

The atmosphere suddenly changed, and became ever more tense as she blinked at his revelation. Despite his attempts at explaining himself, he only seemed to dig himself into a deeper whole with his words. Del sucked in a breath, and shifted her weight from one foot to another.

"What do you mean, we lost people? Who the fuck did we _'lose'_ Erwin?" Del's voice was quiet and serious as she met his gaze with stern, dark eyes. His gaze cast back down to the floor immediately. The guilt laced within his voice was clear as day.

"We lost Isabel and Farlan a while back.. and Armin's been missing for months."

" _What?!_ " She snapped, heart breaking at his words. She was hurt and angry and ready to start fucking screaming at him. 

"What the _fuck_ , Erwin?! Isabel and Farlan _fucking died_ , and you thought that wasn't something to tell me?! Or that Armin has been _missing?!_ "

"Del-"

" _No!_ That is _fucked!_ I can't believe that you- you would even think that that's okay! They were my family, too, asshole!"

Erwin clenched his jaw as she shut him down and a new wave of guilt washed over him. She had angry tears welling in her eyes, and he watched with a heavy heart as she began pacing back and forth in front of him.

"You fuckin- how long has it been since they died? Hm? What, months? A year?"

"... Two years."

"Two year- of course." She breathed, laughing darkly as she turned on her heel once again to continue her steps. "Two fucking years... And Armin?"

"He went missing about four months ago. We haven't been able to find a trace of him."

Her eyes slowly closed in disturbance, and she slowly came to a stop as she took in the information. She was heartbroken by this. Three of her friends- her family, dead and missing. She almost couldn't believe it. Her last memories of them were of smiles, and laughter as they all spent their last night together as a family before everyone split. She'd been expecting them to walk right through that door behind Erwin, along with everybody else in their little family. Now, all she was imagining was their graves, and the time that went by without being allowed to grieve or say goodbye.

"I'm sorry, Del."

"Just… save it. We'll have more to talk about when everyone else gets here."

She turned away from him, and quietly stalked her way back to her seat at the bar. Grabbing the open bottle of Jack, she refilled the tumbler that had been left forgotten at the bar during their conversation. Lighting up a cigarette as she drank, Del reverted back into the silence that blanketed the building before he showed up.

With a deep breath, Erwin grabbed his own tumbler from a shelf, and slowly walked over to sit beside her. The worn floorboards creaked and groaned beneath his heavy steps, and shifted beneath the crappy barstool as he sat. She still said nothing. Without sparing him so much as a glance, she went on to fill his glass for him, before setting the heavy bottle down with a punctuating thud. There, they sat in wait, silently grieving together in their losses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jumpin' right on in, amiright. i promise Levi will soon grace us with his presence, but for now- here we are
> 
> also a bt dubs, I've aged the characters up quite a ways in this; they're not quite exact with their original characters atall, but, i mean.. this is an au lol so just to make it kinda easy until i work it into the story; Del (28), Levi (33), Erwin (34), Jean (27), Eren Mikasa Armin (early 20s), Reiner Bertoldt Annie (mid 20s)


End file.
